Traction-engine.



W. STRAIT. TBAOTION ENGINE. arruonron rmzn snm'. zo, 1m.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

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f I w mjys W. STRAII'. TBAGTION ENGINE. APPLIoATIoH I'ILED snm zo, 1912.

Patented Mal. 2, 1915.

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TRAOTION ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED snm'. no, 1912.

1,1 30,1 17., Patented Ma1.2, 1915.

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wy. sTRAIT. TRAOTION ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 20, 1912.

Patented Mar..2, 1915.

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WILLIAM STRAIT, .APPLETON, WISGONSIN.

TRCTION-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2, 1915.

' Application alec september 20, 1912. semina. 721,507.

To all lwhom, it may concern: I

Be it known that l, WrLLIAM S'rnArr, a

I citizen of the United States, residing at Appleton, Visconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Traction-Engines, of which the following is a specilication.

My invention relates to-a tractor designed especially .for agricultural purposes, although it is available for a wide range of uses.

Among the principal objects of the invention are to provide a new and improved general arrangement of frame, motor, transmission or driving mechanism, controlling mechanism, and steering and driving tractor belts.-

A further object is to provide brakes to coperate with the driving tractors.

Another object is to provide a new and improved link for the tractor belts and dirt guards for the same.

` A further object is to provide improved controlling devices for the raising and lowering of the free ends of the tractor belts.

Further objects are to provide an improved sprocket for the tractor lbelts and cushion bumpers for `the belt-elevating mechanism.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention will be further described hereinafter as far as is necessary in connection with a detailed description of the accompanying drawing which shows one exemplifying embodiment of the invention. It is to be understood., however, that"the. invention is capable of embodiment in dill'ei'ent forms.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation; Fig. 2 is a plan; Fig. 3 is a top plan of one of the tractor links; Fig. 4 is Aa bottom plan of the same; Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the same; Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional detail-of the tractor-chain and guards; Fig. 7 is a detail in plan of part of the transmission mechanism; Fig. 8 is a detail in elevation of part of the transmission mechanism; Fig. 9 is a transverse sectional detail of the brake mechanism, and

Fig; 10 is -a longitudinal elevation of the tractor-elevating-- controlling mechanism. Fig..11.is a detail of the transmission mechani-ism.

Reference vcharacter 1 designates side frame members connected at the rear by bars 2 and at the front by an upwardlyarched member 3. This member carries for? ward extensions 4 in which a steering fork 5 is pivoted, and this fork carries the steering tractor 6. A suitable worm and ear mechanism 7, steering rod 8 and handwheel 9 at the rear, are provided for steering. The steering vmechanism does not especially form a. part of the present in- "vention and will ynot Vbe further described v except so farras certain features of the steering structure are in common with the driving tractors.

l The word tractor as used hereafter will apply to one of the tractor belts, with its related parts, and the machine as a whole will be-described simply; as the machine; or .in some other'language to distinguish from-the tractor devices proper.

Forwardly loeatedin the frame and sup- ,ported by the side members 1 thereof, v1s

the motor 10 having a suitable ignition device such as a magneto 1l and carbureter 12 provided with a throttle arm 13. Forward of the motor isy a radiator 14 supported by the side frame members, and between the motor andV the radiator is 'a fan 15, which may be mounted on the motor main shaft or an auxiliary shaft and driven by the motor. At the rear of the motor -is ily-wheel 16, which is. utilized as the driving disk of the friction power transmission gearing. Rearward of the motor and transversely mounted insuitable bearings 17 is the primary transmission shaft 18, on which the drivedisk 19 is splined to travel across the face of the driving disk 16. The disk 19 is slid along its shaft to change the driving ratio'by means of a bell-crank 20 piv.- oted at 21. VOne arm of the bell-crank is connected by a link 22 and collar with the driven disk, while the other arm of the bellcrank is connected by a link 23 with controlling lever 24.- at the rear, convenient to i mg-and disengaging the driven disk 19 with the driver 16. This is done by making the bearings 17 slidable on the frame and con: ne'cting them by links 26 with arms 27 of the rock-shaft 28 extending across the machine near the rear. This shaft is provided with 1 an upwardly extending lever 30 and the lever is secured in adjusted position by engagement with a slotted 31 fixed' t0 the frame. A bolt -32'exteds arc-shaped segment the driven nut 35. This provides a continuous fric-f' tional engagement between the lever and the segment, which" is suiiicient to hold the driven disk in engagement fwith its driverunder ordinary conditions, but which does not hold it positively enough to cause injury to the mechanism in case'of abnormal strains in driving, etc.

The pivoted mounting 25 of lever 24 above referred to, is similar to the construction just described in the respect that pivot-"25 consists of a bolt, washer and spring, substantially the same as parts 32, 33, 34, just described. Evidently, the spring and washer applied to mounting 25 make a frictional engagement with lever 24 and its vmounting, and serve to conveniently hold disk 19 in adjusted position on its shaft without the provision of any positive device, such as a ratchet.

The fra-me members 1 carry brackets 40 extending upwardly, and in bearings at the top of these brackets countershaft 41 is mounted. Sprockets and a chain 42 connect the primary transmission shaft 18 with the countershaft 41. Toward the rearand a chain 46.

below the frame drive shaft 45 is mounted in suitable bearings. This shaft is connected with the countershaft by sprockets and Suitable differential mechanism is provided (the details of which are not important), to transmit the driving effort t0 both ends of the axle and to permit one end to turn rounding curves.

On eachend of the axle is mounted a drive sprocket 46 and in front of each drive sprocket is an idler sprocket 47. A drive belt or chain 48 passes around each drive faster than the other in sprocket and its corresponding idler and ,las

this mechanism at each side of the machine-- 1s collectively'described as one of the two tractors or tractor belts. In each tractor, the idlersprocket is carried on a shaft 49 and this is spaced away from the driving shaft by two. radius members 50, one at each side of the tractor. lThe shaft 49 engages slots 51 inthe radius members' and is ad-' justablein these slots by means of screws 52 or other suitable devices so that the tension of the belt is easily pose the shaft may be mounted in blocks screw-threaded to receive the screws. Ra-

dius members'50 are spaced apart between the sprockets by cross-bars 53. In addition to spacing the sprockets apart the radius memlg'fg `50 constitute casings for roller bearings which engage the inner faces of the belt and hold it firm-ly in contactA with the ground between the two axles to give an.

ampledrving grip upon the ground under 'all cvnditio The details of this roller adjusted. For this purbearing are not a part of the present invention. It will be noticed, however, that by the provision of one of the radius members and its bearing at each side of the tractor belt and practically at the edge of the4 belt, the belt is firmly held down at both sides and is thus most positively kept in contact with the ground.

The tractor chains or belts are formed of links 60. The upper part of the inner face of each link is hollowed out or cut away as at 61 (Figs. 3 and 5), leaving at each side tracks or rails 62 which are engaged by the lrollers carried inhousings 50.` At the center, each link is provided with a socket 63 to fit the sprocket teeth. Each link is also provided'with hinge members 64 to fit between similar members on the adjoining link, the hinges being' completed by pins 65 passing through members 64. On the outer face theupper area of each link is fiat but near the front or rear transverse edge there is provided a flange or blade 66 which bites into the ground and gives very positive tracion when no attachments are used on the elts. might injure the road surface, or where for any reason it is desirred`to do so, blocks70 of suitable material (conveniently wood) are secured to the outer faces of the links by any convenient means, such as bolts 71. These blocks are reinforced byrods or pins 72, several of these rods usually being provided in each block rlmning across the grain. These prevent splitting of the blocks during a long period of service. y The countersinks or hollowed spacesfl in``the A links serve to receive dirt which gets about the inner face of the belt and might otherwise come in contact with the sprockets or roller bearings. Devices are provided to cooperate with these recesses and throw the dirt away from the belts. These consist of inclined shields supported below the up-V per part of each belt and extending fore and aft of shafts 49 and 45, respectively. The lower edges 76 of the shieldsextend out beyondy the belts so that dirt dropping upon the shields from'the recesses 61 is thrown out clear of the belts. The innerv edges 77 of thelshields are close against the sprockets But in cases where the blades 66 A by links 86 with the extensions 8.0 ofthe tractors while each arm 85 is pivotally connected to a link 87 leading to the rear. Each elevating lever 83 is provided with a pa'wl 88 and a suitable finger-piece 89 and link 90 for operating the pawl by hand. The pawl engages notches 91 cut in the arc-shaped segment 92 ixed .to the frame. Evidently, when the lever 83 is pulled forward and pawl 88 allowed to engage with one of the notches 91, the front end of the tractor belt is elevated and held up for turning purposes or other reasons. The notches 91 may be extended to the rear of the segments as far as desired and evidently when lever 83 is pushed to the rear and the pawl engaged with a suitable notch, the free end of the tractor is positively held down in engagement with the ground to give increased traction under certain circumstances. Pawl 88 may be thrown out of action entirely, to per- 88 rides and is thusprevented from engag the segments.

mit the free ends of the tractors .to ride at will over uneven ground by moving the levers 83 to the rear and throwing over the guards 95, one of which is pivoted to each of thesegments at the front. These guardsl are arc-shaped and when thrown over their ends 96 rest against blocks 97 at the rear of The guards then form a smooth upper contour adjacent to each seg-` ment upon which the corresponding pawl ing notches 91. But it is usually desired to utilizethe driving mechanism of the machine for elevating the tractors, and to conrom the drivers seat, and this is most conveniently eifected by means of pedals. For this purpose, links 87 are provlded at their rear ends with racks 100 and these racks lie under pinions 101 secured to the axle 45 near each drive sprocket 46. The racks and pinions may be of ratchet type, as shown, so that they will not operate when the machine is driven backward, or they may haveordinary rack and gear teeth if it is desired.

lAsthe machine is driven forward, it will be evident that when either rack is brought into engagement withits pinion 101 the rack,

-will be pulledto the rearby the rotatiolign the adjacent\end of the"f1'a"x'le45; arm 851611 the corresponding lever sleeve 82 will be raised and the frontl of the corresponding 55' tractor thus elevated. -To eect engagement of the rack with their pinions pedals 105 are Vprovided adjacent -to the' operators seat.

These pedals are pivoted at 106 to the frame member and have downwardly extending rms 107 carrying rollers 108 engaging under the racks. Evidently, when either pedal is moved forward its roller 108 is raised,

' throwing the rack into engagementwith the mon. To insure disengagement of the rack from the pinion at thepioper time, so

that the tractor will not be elevated too far,

the rack may be provided with an adjustable stop or throw-olf block 109. Other means for ei'ectiug disengagement of the rack from the pinion may be provided. 'The foot'controlling mechanism is usually employed when guards l95 are -in idle position, as

shown in Fig. 1, and then the pawls 88 of levers 83 are, therefore, free to engage the segments 92. The pawls must be disengaged ing pawl 88. This face terminates in a cut away releasing member 117 opposite the last notch of the segment. Thetripping Asector 115 is pivoted at 118 to segment 92 andhas a depending arm 119 to which is connected a link 120 running to the rear. This link terminates in a iitting-121 having at its rear end a slot 122 in which engages a pin 123 carried by pedal lever 105. Now, when pedal 105 is pushed forward to engagerack 100 with pinions 101, 'pin 123 engaging With the front end of slot 122 pushes forward link 120 and raises the tripping sector 115. This sector throws pawl 88 out of engagement with any notch 91 of segment 92 that the pawl happens to be in and permits lever 83 to Vmove freely forward as the tractor is elevated. As the tractor approaches its stantially -level with the bottom of notch 91a. In its rearward position pedal lever 105 rests against a stop 130 on' the frame. To release pawl 88 from notch 91a and permit the structure to drop to the ground,I a pedal 131 isv provided. This pedal is carried by a pedal lever 132 pivoted to pedal lever 105 at 133. The edge of lever 132 rests the link fitting 121. At any time when pawl 88 'is in notch 91, pedal 131 may be moved forward, thus moving link 120 and raising trip sector 115, so thatthrow-oll 117 rises to the top of notch 91a and thrusts pawl 88 out of the notch, permitting the leverv to Vagainst an upwardly-projecting arm 134 of come back freely as the structure drops .by

Y gravity to its lowest position.

' free 'edof each brake band is connected to at the' rear. This may have supported by the left hand onend of a brake lever142 pivotedat 143 t'o the frame. The otherend 'of each brake lever is connected to the pedal rod 144, car# rying a brake pedal 145 atitsupper end. 'll-he rod 144 is guided by an-"eye or thimble 146secured to foot-board 147; lF or the driver a form seat 150 is provided a spring mount-'v ing-1n column 151. vFlooring at the 'rear is provided consisting of foot-board 14-7 above mentioned-and board 155 extending across the rear uponY the frame. For the conven- 'lent attachment of different farm implements or vehicles, the rear cross-frame members 2 may constitute a draw-bar. This'is accomplished by providing them with a plurality of holes 160 in which one or more pins 161 may be placed to readily engage a link or a chain connected with the load and which may be placed between the bars.

To provide guards Vover the tractor belts and to conveniently house accessories, boxes 170 are provided, one at each side of the machine toward the rear. These are su ported over the tractor belts by brackets 1 1 rising from the frame and extending outward under the boxes. The boxes are provided with hinged lids 172. The inner sides of these boxes may be conveniently utilized for the support of enginecontrolling devices. For instance, as shown in Fig. 1, long spark lever 200 is pivoted on the inner side of the right hand box. One end of this is bent inward and connected by a link 201 to a movable part of the magneto to regulate the spark position, while the other end of the. lever moves from a sector 202 and is provided with a notch 203 con'- venient to the operator. At the other side a similar controlling lever 210 is provided box and connected to the throttle. y

The sprockets employed in the tractor are subject to considerable wear and forfithis reason it is desired to provide for-'Z h removable rims.v In' Fig. 9 this feat` shown. The sprocket proper, vided with a circular flange 120, an 121 which carries teeth 122 is ma,

be removed without dismantlin n he machine. The rim may vary in"V cross-section, but is, as conveniently shown, ofL-shape, in which the head rests on periphery of flange 120 and side member 123rests against the side of the flange to which. it is secured by set screws 124.

The operation of the transmission andengine controllingmechanism has been Sulliciently explained. The operation of detailed parts of the tractor controlling mechanism has also been explained, but the general operation of the tractors in ordinary running of the machine will nowA be briefly mentioned. Y. Y f

Infrunning over rough ground or where the pull is light, the free ends of the tractors may be' left loose-so that they "rise and fall in*y accordance with the irregularities of the groundrj Or if the pull is Vheavy or if the 70 gfrountil is soft, the front ends ofthe tractors may be positively held down by engaging` pawlsf88 with rearward notches 91 of seg- 1nents1f92.'l When it; is desired to turn, to facilitate turning it is usually desirable to allow the free end ofthe tractor at the outside of the curve to remain down or to hold it positively down, while the free end of the tractor at the inside of the curve is raised so that the machine will pivot about the drive sprocket of the inside tractor as a center under the impulse furnished by the driving power applied to the other tractor, acting through the elitire surface of the tractor belt in engagement with the ground.,v In this way a very powerful and positive turning ellect can be obtained, which willJ turn the machine in a very small space -evenV on unusually soft and slippery ground. To makethe turn, therefore, the pedal 105 to- 90 ward the inside of the turn is pushed forward,'thus causing the driving mechanism to elevate the corresponding tractor. Turning may be facilitated by at the same time applying the brake at the same side of the y i i machine. This may be Adone immediately after the tractor is elevated by depressing the corresponding pedal 145. This holds drive sprocket at the inside of the turn stationary and compels the entire driving power of the engine acting through the differential to be exerted on the outer tractor. When the turn is completed the brake is released and the tractor is permitted to drop by pushing forward pedal 131 which 105 releases pawl 88 from notch 91, and thereupon the tractor drops under the inluence of gravity. Of course, at any time both tractors may be elevatedat once by pushing ,Y both pedals 105. This independent controll ling of the elevation ofthe tractors by the power mechanism andthe independent releasing mechanism ijsi'evidently of great importance. The brakes may, of course, be applied simultaneoiislyto check or stop the machine on a When pawls 88 are Y released ,from their notches to allow the tractors to drop,` levers 83 move backward rapidly. To'arrest the movement of the levers without injury to any of the mechanism blocks 250 are secured to the frame ladjacent to the levers and these are provided with rubber or other suitable cushions 251 against which the levers strike when l they reach their proper rearmost position. The blocks may be made adjustable if desired by means of a plurality of holes in the frame to receive their fastening screws-'0r by slots to receive fastening bolts or like f means, e

medir? 11 shows certain features of' the transmission mechanism. Bearings for countershaft 41 may, in a preferred construction, be supported in a bracket 40a: At

`ets 40a. Arms 18*L extend below4 the bearings, and links 26 for moving the primary shaft to engage and dsengage the driven pulley are connected to these arms at their lower ends. 'By this arrangement the driving reaction acting through Vthe chains always tends to swing shaft 18 toward the driving pulley 16 and to keep the pulleys in engagement. This feature is especially valuable when the tractor is pulling heavily, sinceno tension on the part of the operator is required to keep the driving members in engagement and the engaging pressure varies directly with the driving pull. rihis is practically an automatic clutch feature.

Chain links 60, as shown in Fig 3, are

provided with channels 61a on their inner faces close to the outer edges of the links. These channels run close to the edges of cover plates of the roller bearings. Dirt getting on the chain drops into these grooves or channels instead of working in under the rollers and is carried up until the channels are in inverted position and then drops down and is thrown out by guard 75.

li claim:

1. in a traction machine, the combination ofa main frame, steering means, a driving tractor belt at each side 'of the main frame, a motor, a drive shaft connected to said driving tractors and having dierenti'al mechanism connected with said motor for driving the tractors dierentially in turning, and an independently acting brake and brake-operating means for each tractor. l

2. in a traction machine, the combination of a main frame, steering means, a driving tractor belt'at each side othe main frame, a motor, a drive shaft connected to said driving tractors and havin 'Y diderential mechanism connected with sald motor for driving the tractors differentially in turning, an independently acting brake and brake-operating means for each tractor, independent means for raising and lowering and holding ibn adjusted position one end of each tractor elt.

3. in a traction machine, the combination of a main frame, steering means, a driving tractor belt at each side of the main frame, a motor, a drive shaft connected to said driving tractors and having dierential mechan'ism connected with said motor for driving the tractors diiferentiallyin turning, an 1ndependently acting brake and brake-operating means for each tractor, independent means for raising and lowering and holding in adjusted position one end of each tractor belt, and means actuated by the drivlng mechanism of the vehicle for operatmg sald belt raising and lowering means.

STRAIT. Witnesses:

GEORGE T. RICr e t: 1 P. A. Komm 

